Ondo Guber: Supreme court affirms Gov Akeredolu’s election

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, yesterday, dismissed the case brought by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, against the election of Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The seven-member panel of the apex court, in a dissenting judgement of four to three held that the appeal was lacking in merit.
The majority decision delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, alongside justice Muhammad Tijani and justice, Mohhamed Garba upheld Akeredolu’s election.
They posited that the appeal by Olutayo Jegede and the People’s Democratic Party lacked merit since the appellants failed to include Yobe State Governor and chairman caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Mai Mala Buni, a party in the suit.
The majority decision agreed with the decision of the tribunal that failure of the appellants to include Buni was fatal to their case.
However, the minority judgment led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili alongside Justice Ejembi Eko and Ibrahim Salawa held that since APC was the principal and was made a party, there was no need to join Buni in the suit.
They maintained that, it was the position of the law that Buni being a sitting Governor cannot be acting Chairman of the APC and was therefore wrong to have submitted the name of Akeredolu to INEC as candidate of the APC.
The PDP was dissatisfied with the reelection of Akeredolu by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Sequel to the aforementioned, the aggrieved party went to the tribunal which also upheld his election as well as the Appeal court.
The Court of Appeal led by Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua dismissed the petition filed by Mr Jegede while affirming Mr Akeredolu as the winner of the poll.
Ruling on the appeal, the Appellate court had out of seven issues raised for determination, resolved four and half in favour of Mr Jegede and the rest two and a half in favour of Mr Akeredolu.
Again, not satisfied with the decision of the Appellate Court, Mr Jegede approached the Supreme Court to discountenance the lower courts verdicts.